"Master," Ziyuan approached, her voice low. "Tomorrow morning, Lin Yuning has asked to meet you in the hunting forest."
A glint flashed in Su Yunmo's eyes.
His Majesty had just hinted at a political marriage, and it seemed someone was already impatient.
Lin Yuning truly cherished Ye Jingcheng now, afraid of him being snatched away.
"Go reply. I will be there."
Lin Yuning had chosen the meeting time during the general hunting period.
The hunting palace was only guarded by palace attendants; everyone else was deep in the hunt. This area outside the dense forest was deserted and quiet.
When Su Yunmo went to meet her, Lin Yuning was already waiting.
"Who else could you have chosen but the Su family's youngest lady? Are you deliberately trying to compete with me?!" Lin Yuning got straight to the point.
Su Yunmo glanced at the hatred in her eyes and curved her lips playfully.
"Honestly, I didn't have much thought about your marriage initially. But seeing how much you care now, I'm actually quite interested in marrying Ye Jingcheng."
She tilted her head, raising an eyebrow. "What if I were to truly request the Emperor to make me the Crown Princess? What would be your fate then?"
Lin Yuning wore a veil today, but occasionally a gust of wind would lift it, clearly revealing a palm print on her face.
It was a significant slap, clearly from a man.
Ye Jingcheng must have discovered that Lin Yuning had revealed the list. Given his nature, he wouldn't let her off easily.
Lin Yuning clenched her fists tightly, jealousy contorting her features.
During their marriage, she had come to understand Prince Lian on a deeper level, and being his princess was not easy.
Ye Jingcheng was heartless and unfeeling. For anything that benefited him, he would ruthlessly abandon anyone around him, including herself.
If such a day were to come, she feared her fate would be a hundred times worse than Lin Niange's had been.
"I will not become like that. Never," Lin Yuning took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, her gaze was filled with killing intent.
"Su Yunmo, go die. If you die, none of this will happen."
Suddenly, two figures landed on either side of Su Yunmo.
They both held bows, aimed at Su Yunmo, radiating killing intent.
Su Yunmo raised an eyebrow, no trace of tension on her face. "It seems you were well-prepared."
"Kill her!" Lin Yuning commanded.
Two arrows shot out towards Su Yunmo.
Su Yunmo's eyes sharpened. She quickly dodged one arrow and then fiercely swung her left hand.
The other arrow abruptly changed direction and pierced the chest of one of the men.
The man fell to the ground, meeting his end before he could even comprehend what had happened.
Lin Yuning's eyes widened in shock. "Your powers have returned?"
Su Yunmo rotated her wrist. "Surprised?"
They had just recovered yesterday.
She snapped her fingers.
The other archer suddenly cried out in pain and knelt on the ground, clutching his stomach. Blood flowed from between his fingers.
The arrow Su Yunmo had dodged had, at some point, circled behind him and pierced his back.
This man also fell dead.
Lin Yuning stared at Su Yunmo's slightly reddened eyes, her own widening in terror as she stumbled backward. "No, don't come near me! Monster, you're a monster!"
No matter how many times she saw it, she couldn't accept this fact.
Humans could manipulate objects with their minds; it was simply unreal. There was no other explanation besides that of a monster.
Su Yunmo reached out and clenched her fist in mid-air.
Lin Yuning grunted, her body slowly levitating.
She kicked and struggled, her hands gripping her own neck, her breath caught in her lungs. She convulsively rolled her eyes.
"Then experience what it feels like to be strangled by a monster," Su Yunmo's eyes flashed red, her fingers tightening.
Simultaneously, Lin Yuning's fingers gripping her own neck also tightened.
Her entire body was suspended in mid-air.
The ground began to tremble.
Even the birds in the forest seemed to sense something, flapping their wings and flying away.
Su Yunmo frowned, sensing something unusual.
"Hiss~" A beast's roar echoed from a distance, and then the entire forest became agitated.
Something rushed towards her from behind.
Su Yunmo's concentration wavered, and she released her grip. Turning, she saw a wild boar charging at her.
She stepped back with her left leg, raised one hand in mid-air, and swung it down forcefully.
The wild boar was instantly flung away, crashing into a tree and breaking it.
Lin Yuning seized this opportunity to scramble away, but before she could run, she screamed.
Wild beasts from all directions were surging towards them like madmen.
Their eyes were all bloodshot, as if their minds had been disturbed by something, causing them to lose their senses.
Su Yunmo felt something strange within her body tugging at her, but the sensation quickly faded before she could grasp it.
This forest was not right!
"Hiss!" The wild boar got up from the ground, roared at the sky, and charged again.
Lin Yuning screamed and closed her eyes.
A figure flashed in the distance. Guicha flew over and pulled Su Yunmo into his embrace.
The wild boar crashed into Lin Yuning, sending her flying.
Lin Yuning fell to the ground, spitting up blood.
Guicha's expression was stern. "All the fierce beasts in the hunting grounds have suddenly gone mad. Let's leave here first."
This was the first time Su Yunmo had seen him wear such a serious expression.
If even Guicha couldn't gauge the danger, then this place was indeed not safe to linger.
Lin Yuning struggled to get up. "No, take me with you! I don't want to die here, take me!"
With so many rampaging beasts, she would be eaten.
The surrounding beasts drew closer and closer.
In her desperation, Lin Yuning coughed up more blood and fell back to the ground.
Guicha glanced at her, his gaze not lingering for long, and then flew away.
"No!!" Lin Yuning shrieked, terror gradually consuming her eyes.
She didn't want to die here, she didn't want to die here!
The wild boar shook its head and charged at Lin Yuning once more.
Lin Yuning screamed and instinctively closed her eyes.
Suddenly, a light blue long skirt fell in front of her.
Linlang reached out and grasped, shouting, "Retreat!"
At the same time, the wild boar actually stopped in its tracks. Then, the ferocity in its eyes slowly faded.
The other beasts also stopped at this moment, as if their consciousness had suddenly rebooted.
They all retreated, crouching low in the distance, as if facing a king.
A golden light flashed in Linlang's eyes, and she coldly uttered a single word: "Disperse!"
The beasts then scattered and fled.
The dense forest quickly returned to its quiet state.
Lin Yuning stared at all of this in disbelief, her mind unable to process it.
With such immense power, even Su Yunmo might not be able to contend with it.
Linlang quickly went to Lin Yuning, kneeling on one knee beside her. "My little mistress, are you alright? This subordinate deserves to die; my uncontrolled powers almost harmed you, you beasts."
As Linlang approached, Lin Yuning instinctively recoiled in fear. Upon hearing her words, she froze. "What did you call me?"
Linlang's eyes reddened, and she cupped Lin Yuning's hands. "My little mistress, I am Linlang. Do you know I have been searching for you for a long time?"
"You may not recognize me, but this subordinate is from your mother's side of the family and was ordered to protect you."